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Read The Killing Man (1990)

The Killing Man (1990)

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Rating
3.51 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0451167848 (ISBN13: 9780451167842)
Language
English
Publisher
signet

The Killing Man (1990) - Plot & Excerpts

As I wrote in another review, the first Mickey Spillane novel I ever read was THE ERECTION SET, a shameless, over-the-top potboiler of a thriller with plenty of steamy sex and cold, satisfying revenge. When I reached its end, which figuratively and literally came with a bang, I once and for all understood the appeal of Spillane's old-school, pavement-level storytelling of tough guys, ravishing dames, and brick-busting action! Before that, funny as it may sound, the only real exposure I had to the author was by way of television and the far too brief MIKE HAMMER series and telemovies that starred Stacey Keach as the iconic private eye...in retrospect Keach played Hammer almost perfectly, a true tough guy who didn't just know how to use his fists and his beloved Colt .45 auto, a running joke in the series was his almost supernatural way of attracting women...being in the presence of a pure man like Hammer made nearly every dame he met want to have sex with him. At the end of one episode, he walked into the night with two ladies at the same time. Fonz, eat your heart out!When it was publicized that the first Mike Hammer novel in twenty years was being brought to the world by Spillane himself, I just had to snatch it up to see how the hard boiled hero took care of business when in the hands of his creator. I was only disappointed in the sense that when I was done, I'd expected more meat to the story...but that doesn't mean THE KILLING MAN wasn't satisfying. It was great, but not as awesome as the aforementioned THE ERECTION SET, which he wrote back in his heyday.Even though THE KILLING MAN was set decades after his last adventure, Spillane had no difficulty imagining Mike Hammer in a more modern New York City of the 1980's. Age hasn't slowed him down a bit, even though he's just a few steps behind the times...but in a hard, uncompromising, let's-show-the-new-generation-how-it's-done way! The story hits the ground running as Hammer checks into his office, business as usual, but gets the shock of his life. His eternally loyal and lovely secretary, Velda, has been brutally beaten and left for dead. Thankfully, she's in much better shape than the man left to sit behind Hammer's desk, the victim of a hideous torture and murder. A note is left on the horrible corpse with the unusual, cryptic message: YOU DIE FOR KILLING ME. Affairs turn into a race against time as Mike Hammer struggles to discover who has a vendetta against him before the killer closes in on him...The story is definitely what Mickey Spillane does best: old fashioned, street-level revenge, which I first became acquainted with in THE ERECTION SET. I guess I expected more than what I'd read before, but when you're the best at what you do writing hard boiled detective fiction, why ruin a perfectly good recipe for success? Besides, in a world on the verge of embracing political correctness, it was refreshing to see an old school hero like Mike Hammer walk the streets like nothing had changed. Fans of Mickey Spillane won't be disappointed!

Oh my, this is not the same Mike Hammer I last read but given it was the first one of a 10 year hiatus for Mike Hammer, things obviously changed. Technology, Hammer's personal habits, his toughness has softened (a little) and he just seems not as 'noir' as the last book I read. All in all though, a good story with a definate surprise at the end although I figured something was 'in the wind' when he took a backseat to the action. Re-read Spillaine's bio and he was quite a character, knocking door to door as Jehovah's Witness in coastal South Carolina where he lived, playing parts in TV series, movies and ads. Not your usual writer who tended to be more reclusive especially during the earlier period (50's and 60's) of mystery writers. Looking at picture of him on the back cover, he certainly has the face of a character actor. Looks like a hard-boiled P.I.; I know, a cliche, but accurate.Look forward to picking up the older more hard-core noir books which I enjoyed so much earlier this year. However, any day with a Mickey Spillane book is a good day for me. Oops, should have mentioned the steamy scenes. There were some descriptions of beautiful, smooth looking, sexual 'dames' in the previous books, but these women were strong, drop dead gorgeous women who wanted ole Hammer and it was very mutual. Seems like almost exact opposite of the women in earlier books in that these were professionals who had strong personalities. No secretarys here so the book did indeed reflect the time period regarding women's role in the workplace. Good book and if there were halfs I would give it 3 1/2 stars.

What do You think about The Killing Man (1990)?

A floating timeline is sometimes a useful device. For instance, if one is writing a series of novels, by keeping the lead character the same age but updating the setting, the narrative will remain current. Richard Stark’s Parker, as an example, was the same strong and ruthless professional in the twenty-first century as he was in the sixties. The same thing is true with Micky Spillane’s Mike Hammer, a tough and brutal veteran, who continues as the hardest PI in New York for decades. We as readers, we as fans, except these contradictions and don’t think about them too hard. Which makes ‘The Killing Man’, where Spillane sets up the internal logic of these books like a house of cards, then swings a baseball bat at it, all the more head spinning. At the end the reader might think he’s taken a blow to the back of the head.In a way hearing Mike Hammer talk about AIDS and Ronald Reagan is as strange as reading about P.G.Wodehouse’s Uncle Fred character “doing the rock’n’roll’. It's so incongruous for this charcater, but you’re a fan and you go with it. What makes it all the more confusing, baffling and flabbergasting in ‘The Killing Man’ though, is that even though this is the 80s – with coke and computers abundant in the plot – Mike Hammer is still demonstrably a World War Two veteran. There is no fudging, no suggestion it might have been a different vaguer war he fought in (Korea? Vietnam?) No, he is still the same strong and powerful NYC detective, able to wrestle any grown man to the ground (while making gorgeous dames go weak at the knees) even in his – presumably – advancing years. As I said, the reader tries not to think about these things too hard, but sometimes the author sneaks up behind him and makes it incredibly difficult.All that being said, ‘The Killing Man’ is a vastly entertaining entry in the series. Hammer’s beloved secretary is found knocked out in his office, along with the mutilated corpse of a mobster and a note from an international hitman. Hammer being Hammer, he swears bloody revenge. There is international intrigue, a sexy as hell lawyer, an appearance by The Manchester Guardian and more fists thrown and bullets fired than at a saloon brawl in a John Wayne western. I’m not sure the whole thing holds together that well, but Hammer watchers will note that Spillane doesn’t take the path so many of these books take and the whole thing is a lot of brutal fun.
—F.R.

I am a fan of Spillane because his Mike Hammer character is consistent. He gets knots in his gut when he sees men beat on the defenseless (women, kids, etc.). He plasters on a tight, sh!t-eating grin when he's imagining knocking some delinquent in their teeth. He slowly leans on doors, listens, and crawls into rooms with his .45 drawn just in case an unseen assassin tries to take him out. These qualities don't change.The Killing Man does feature some subtle changes in the characters, though. Written 19 years since his last adventure, the timeless, ageless private investigator is a bit different. Instead of drinking Pabst and bourbons and lighting Lucky Strikes, this Hammer drinks Canadian Club and soda and has stopped smoking. For as long as I read his works, I wondered how much of himself Spillane wrote into his characters. Following that train of thought, I wonder if a two-decade-older Spillane was writing a more conservative version of Hammer.The slightly more conservative Hammer doesn't run into rooms guns blazing as often as he did in the 50's-70's novels. He's not punching cops or spending much time in the bars with his partner-in-justice Pat. He's a nurturing, patient caregiver to his damaged love, Velda. He's more dependent on his friends and even on strangers in this novel.The basics are still the same. The narrative voice doesn't change much. But those few curious alliterations to the story taking place in the 80's (references to computers, AIDS, and south american drug runners) and Hammer acting suspiciously more fragile make this a different read from the Signet paperbacks I enjoy so much. Still recommended for the die-hard fans. The characteristic dry, brutal ending won't leave anyone with a bad taste in their mouth.
—Paul

What's not to love about a classic detective novel set in foggy New York City... These books were later made into a series about Mike Hammer, the detective! I mean really, Mike Hammer! I wish my name was Mike Hammer! They could call you 'The Hammer' or something cool like that! Or, if his middle name was Caleb or Carl or something, you could have people call you M.C. or better yet, M.C. Hammer! Pretty awesome!Anyway, other than some spots with suspect language, this was a good quick read that was enjoyable! There was some killing too, which can be gruesome!
—Zac Brodrick

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